Re-discovering it recently, it turns out that I was a fool, a damn fool for skipping over Chronicles of the Wolf upon its release back in 2023 as it’s very clearly one of my games of the year, blending as it does nostalgia of the past with an eye on modern design.
Honestly, I’ll say this at the start of the review, aside from the fact that this leans heavily on Castlevania in most ways, and some people may find this aspect a little too close for comfort (it doesn’t bother me in the slightest), I have nothing at all to critique about Chronicles of the Wolf, it feels like the perfect throwback game in the Metroidvania style.
One problem though, the Beast turns out to be a towering werewolf that murders your entire regiment and leaves you for dead before you can even set foot in a boulangerie, leading you to be rescued by a mysterious woman in a green dress who dashes off into the night. Still determined to finish his mission, Mateo bravely enters the nearby village to find out more information on what exactly is terrorising the area.
As I said above, I love this game. Everything feels perfectly pitched and adds to the atmosphere and level of immersion. Beautiful, hand-drawn pixel art blends with traditional Metroidvania gameplay to create a game that feels timeless.
The tale feels punchy, and the game doesn’t outsay its welcome, running at around 15-20 hours in length. There are an incredible amount of enemy types to work your way through, with a rich tapestry of magic and weaponry with which to do so – thinking about it, a minor quibble I do have is that it would be lovely to switch between weapons swiftly, as opposed to needing to go through the menu to do so – there is also some voice with the main characters, which is delivered in a theatrical manner that perfectly sits within the medieval gothic tone of the game.
Each location doesn’t outstay its welcome either, and whilst there is some natural backtracking as you make your way through the game, each place is so well-implemented and fun that it never feels like padding or a chore, and a huge part of that is the music.
Oh, the music - by composer Jeffrey Montoya – could very well be the best part of the game, and that’s saying a lot with a game such as this! His compositions are absolutely glorious, with some being true earworms – I look at YOU Aptcher Valley theme – that completely capture the vibe echoed by the visuals.
From gothic runs, and spooky orchestral works through the wailing, milky guitar melodies, the soundtrack is an absolute belter that I yearn for a vinyl release of. So enamoured with the music was I that I immediately contacted the composer for an interview down the line, the audio is truly mesmerising stuff that brings the game to life.
SUMMARY
As you can tell, I very much enjoyed Chronicles of the Wolf. Yes, it’s derivative and takes a lot of style from the historic giants of the genre, but in my eyes it surpasses – or at the very least matches up to - those it apes.
SUMMARY
As you can tell, I very much enjoyed Chronicles of the Wolf. Yes, it’s derivative and takes a lot of style from the historic giants of the genre, but in my eyes it surpasses – or at the very least matches up to - those it apes.
A visually and sonically beautiful creation that utilises tried and tested gameplay, this is a huge thumbs up from us at GF, and very much a contender for game of the year, blinking lovely stuff.
🐺Right, I’m off to kick a thirty-foot tall werewolf in the balls for making me drop my croissant.🥐
9.5/10
🧊🆒ICE COOL 🧊🆒
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